1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed in general to systems and methods for controlling and monitoring of high voltage test equipment, and in particular to a wireless controller, a system implementing a wireless controller and a method which allows wireless control of high voltage test modules.
2. Discussion of the Background
High voltage test systems are widely employed in utility and manufacturing industry for hipot testing of cables, electrical switchgear, motors and generators, and other electrical devices and installations.
Conventional power line monitors, as well as methods of monitoring associated with the use thereof are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,360, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, to Mario et al. which provides a system for unintrusively determining parameters such as current, voltage and power delivered through a service line to a customer for verifying accuracy of the customer's entrance meter is. The system includes a sensor apparatus for monitoring voltage and current on the power line. A voltage clamp mechanism is disposed within a sensor housing such that an insulation piercing voltage sensor can be manually actuated to pierce the electrical insulation of the power line and contact the conductor. The sensor apparatus also includes a split-core current transformer fabricated to minimize the air gap between the split-core sections when the apparatus is closed about the power line. A pole unit is electrically connected to each sensor apparatus for monitoring the voltage and current, calculating the power consumed in kilowatt-hours and storing calculated kilowatt-hours in memory with an appropriate date/time stamp, for subsequent retrieval and comparison with the customer's entrance meter readings. Data retrieval is accomplished via a hand-held ground unit, such as a palm top computer, which communicates via infrared signals with the pole mounted unit.
Other related conventional systems are described in the following documents whose disclosure is hereby incorporated by reference:
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 6,711,512 to Noh which provides pole transformer load monitoring system using a wireless Internet network. The load monitoring system is capable of measuring, in real time, a variety of load parameters (phase voltages, phase currents and temperatures) of a pole transformer placed on a distribution line. The results of the measurements are transferred to an operator in a branch operating station over the wireless Internet network so as to prevent losses resulting from overloaded and unbalanced states, thereby enhancing the quality of power supply and efficiently managing a distribution load.
(2) U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,258 to Okuyama which provides a portable data transmitting/receiving apparatus where a receiver receives measurement data output as a radio wave from a measuring unit for measuring a physical or chemical value of an object to be measured together with a data type (ID data) for identifying the measuring unit. The measurement data and the data type received by the receiver are displayed on a display unit for a predetermined period of time and is stored in a data memory. It is confirmed whether the measurement data and the data type are properly stored, by comparing the displayed data on a display portion of the measuring unit with the displayed data on the display unit. When a cancel key of a keyboard is operated, latest measurement data and a latest data type which are stored last in the data memory are cleared. Measurement data obtained by the measuring unit and input through the keyboard and a data type assigned to the measuring unit are displayed on the display unit for a predetermined period of time and are stored in the data memory. When a transmission key of the keyboard is operated, all the measurement data stored in the data memory is output from a transmitter to an external data processing unit together with data type by radio transmission.
(3) Published U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. US2004/0183522 to Gunn et al. which provides an apparatus for sensing the current in a power line of a power system and systems incorporating the apparatus are disclosed. The apparatus may comprise an enclosure providing a window operable to permit the passage of the power line therethrough. The apparatus may further comprise an active current transformer set within the enclosure and operative to produce a scaled version of the current. The apparatus may further comprise an amplifier coupled with the active current transformer and operative to reduce the phase shift and ratio error between the current and the scaled version of the current. The apparatus may further comprise a powering current transformer set within the enclosure and operative to receive power from the power line on a primary winding and deliver power on a secondary winding. The apparatus may further comprise power supply circuitry set within the enclosure, the power supply circuitry powered through the secondary winding from the powering current transformer and operative to supply power to the amplifier. The apparatus may further comprise at least one of secondary leads and secondary terminals extending from the enclosure, coupled with the active current transformer and operative to deliver the scaled version of the current outside of the enclosure.
(4) Published U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. US2001/0040446 to Lapinski et al. which provides Apparatus and method for the measurement and monitoring of electrical power generation and transmission which allows for a determination of the amount and direction of electric power flowing over a particular high-voltage electric power transmission line without proximate access to said transmission line, and further allows for a determination of the amount of electric power being produced by any particular electric power generation plant connected to an electric power transmission grid
All of the foregoing devices retain the drawback of not providing the flexibility and modular construction, as afforded by, for example, Modular Portable DC Hipot tester model 8175-PL (General Description and User's Guide thereof are set forth herein in the following Appendix section of the specification) manufactured by HIPOTRONICS, combined with portability and safety afforded by wireless operation in a wireless network setting. As illustrated in FIGS. 1a and 1b, a modular portable tester includes a module assembly 150 comprises a controller 100. FIG. 1b shows modular assembly 150 with components 110, controller 100 and transformer 130. As shown in FIG. 1c, components 110 can include varying numbers of stack modules 112, and include jumper wires 114, spacer 116, base 118, termination spacer assembly 120 and spinning corona 122.